Systems and methods for communicating

ABSTRACT

A communication system ( 1 ) comprising: determining means operable to determine an attribute of a communication device; identifying means operable to identify an avatar by using the attribute, wherein the avatar is such that it conveys to a viewer thereof information about a person; and communicating means operable to communicate the avatar to the communication device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods forcommunicating. More specifically, the present invention hasparticular—but by no means exclusive—application to communicating viamobile communication devices such as a mobile telephone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Whilst today's mobile telephone networks have undoubtedly enhanced ourability to communicate with each other, there are several aspects oftheir functionality that could be improved in order to further enhanceour ability to efficiently communicate with each other. One aspect thatcould be improved is the ability for a user of a mobile telephone toreadily determine what another mobile telephone user is doing withouthaving to communicate directly (for instance, speak) with the user ofthe mobile telephone. For example, it would be advantageous if the userof a mobile telephone could program the telephone network (or theirmobile telephone) to provide information that informs parties callingthe mobile telephone that the user thereof is currently in a meetingwithout having to communicate directly with the user. At present, theuser of the mobile telephone would either have to speak directly withthe calling party to inform them that they are in a meeting, or the userof the mobile telephone would have to engage in SMS messaging to informthe calling party that they are in a meeting.

Another aspect of mobile telephone networks that could be improved istheir ability to allow a person to easily join a group of people andcommunicate efficiently with them. At present the person has to gothrough the rather cumbersome task of organising or arranging a time tocommunicate with the group and establishing a conference call betweenthe members of the group.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided acommunication system. A particular embodiment of the communicationsystem comprises:

determining means operable to determine an attribute of a communicationdevice;

identifying means operable to identify an avatar by using the attribute,wherein the avatar is such that it conveys to a viewer thereofinformation about a person; and

communicating means operable to communicate the avatar to thecommunication device.

By communicating the avatar to the communication device a user (theviewer) thereof is able to obtain information about the person withoutthe user and the person communicating directly with each other. Morespecifically, if the person was at work and wanted to convey thisinformation to the viewer then the avatar could, for example, depict theperson in a business suit carrying a briefcase.

The word “avatar” as used throughout this specification is a referenceto a form of image (such as a digital photograph or animated icon),which when viewed conveys some information about an activity that theperson is involved in.

The particular embodiment of the communication system further comprisesreplacing means operable to replace the avatar with another avatar.

The replacing means enables different information about the person to beconveyed to the viewer. For instance, an initial avatar may indicatethat the person is at work, whilst a replacement avatar may indicatethat the person is out shopping. The replacement avatar that representsthe person out shopping could, for example, be an image of the personcarrying shopping bags. An advantage of being able to replace the avataris that it effectively allows the person to inform the viewer of changesin activities that the person is involved in. Persons skilled in the artwill readily appreciate that replacing the avatar also compriseschanging a visual aspect of the avatar.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the identifyingmeans is operable to identify the avatar by comparing the attribute to acommunication device identifier that is associated with the avatar.

Comparing the attribute to the communication device identifiereffectively enables the avatar to be selected based on, for example, atelephone number of the communication device.

The particular embodiment of the communication system further comprisesrecording means arranged to allow the person to record the communicationdevice identifier.

Thus, the recording means effectively provides a mechanism for allowingthe person to control who will receive the avatar. For example, theavatar may only be sent to the communication device if the attributematches the communication device identifier recorded by the recordingmeans. In the event that the attribute does not match the communicationdevice identifier, then the avatar will not be sent to the communicationdevice.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the replacingmeans is further operable to replace the communication device identifierwith another communication device identifier.

Being able to replace the communication device identifier enables achange in respect of allowing another communication. device to receivethe avatar.

The particular embodiment of the communication system further comprisesselecting means operable to allow the person to select the avatar from aplurality of other avatars.

Being able to select the avatar from a plurality of other avatars isadvantageous because it enables an appropriate avatar to be selected torepresent the activity that the person is engaged in. Each of theavatars could depict different activities that the person couldundertake.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the selectingmeans is further operable to allow the communication device identifierto be selected from a plurality of other communication deviceidentifiers.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system thecommunicating means is operable to communicate the avatar to thecommunication device in a virtual environment.

Conveying the avatar in the virtual environment is advantageous becauseit allows further information to be conveyed to the viewer. For example,if the person is at work then the virtual environment may represent avirtual office, which includes images of, for example, a desk andchairs. Furthermore, depicting the avatar in the virtual environment hasthe ability to make the system more appealing to users of the system.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the determiningmeans is operable to determine the attribute by processing calleridentification data associated with the communication device.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the systemfurther comprises messaging means operable to create a text, an audioand/or a video message that is associated with the avatar.

Conveying the text, the audio and/or the video message provides yetanother mechanism for conveying further information to the user of thecommunication device.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the avatar andthe plurality of other avatars depict an activity that involves theperson.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system thecommunication device comprises a mobile telephone and the attributecomprises a telephone number of the mobile telephone.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provideda communication system. A particular embodiment of the communicationsystem comprises:

an environment support means operable to support at least one virtualenvironment that can be accessed by a first person; and

a communicating means operable to communicate an avatar in the virtualenvironment to the first person subsequent to the first person accessingthe environment, the avatar being such that it can convey to the firstperson information about a second person.

The ability to communicate the avatar in the virtual environment has theadvantage of facilitating the formation of spontaneous, multiple,virtual social and/or business networks. Thus, improving theattractiveness of the system to users.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the environmentsupport means is operable to determine a level of authority associatedwith the second person, and provide the second person with access to thevirtual environment if the level of authority is deemed appropriate.

The ability to provide access to the virtual environment based on thelevel of authority has the advantage of facilitating control over whocan access the virtual environment.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the environmentsupport means is operable to allow the first person to assign the levelof authority.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the environmentsupport means is such that it allows the first person to arrange thevirtual environment such that it has a desired appearance.

Being able to arrange the virtual environment is particularly useful ina situation where the virtual environment models, for example, a virtualoffice. Arranging the virtual office can include, for instance, placinga desk and picture in a required location. The effect of this is thatthe virtual environment take on an appearance that suits the firstperson.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the environmentsupport means is operable to allow the first person and the secondperson to exchange other information via the virtual environment.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the otherinformation comprises multi-media content.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system thecommunicating means is further operable to allow the second person tocontrol whether the avatar conveys the information to the first person.

Controlling whether the avatar conveys the information to the firstperson ensures that the first person only receives information that thesecond person wants the first person to receive.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the environmentsupport means is operable to allow the first person to access thevirtual environment via a communication network, the communicating meansalso being operable to communicate the avatar in the virtual environmentto the first person via the communication network.

Thus, providing the advantage of allowing the first person to access theenvironment from a remote location, and receive the avatar in thevirtual environment at the remote location.

In the particular embodiment of the communication system the informationconveyed by the avatar to the first person comprises audio and/or videoinformation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided acommunication system. A particular embodiment of the communicationsystem comprises:

identifying means operable to identify an avatar that conveys to aviewer thereof information about a person; and

communicating means operable to communicate the avatar to a mobilecommunication device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provideda communication method. A particular embodiment of the communicationmethod comprises the steps of:

determining an attribute of a communication device;

identifying an avatar by using the attribute, wherein the avatar is suchthat it conveys to a viewer thereof information about a person; and

communicating the avatar to the communication device.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of replacing the avatar with another avatar.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method the step ofidentifying the avatar comprises identifying the avatar by comparing theattribute to a communication device identifier that is associated withthe avatar.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of recording the communication device identifier.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of replacing the communication device identifier with anothercommunication device identifier.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of selecting the avatar from a plurality of other avatars.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of selecting the communication device identifier from aplurality of other communication device identifiers.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of communicating the avatar to the communication device in avirtual environment.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method the step ofdetermining the attribute comprises determining the attribute byprocessing caller identification data that is associated with thecommunication device.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of creating a text, an audio and/or a video message that isassociated with the avatar.

In the embodiment of the communication method the avatar and theplurality of other avatars depict an activity that involves the person.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method the firstcommunication device is a mobile telephone and the attribute is atelephone number of the mobile telephone.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided acommunication method. A particular embodiment of the communicationmethod comprises the steps of:

supporting at least one virtual environment that can be accessed by afirst person; and

communicating an avatar in the virtual environment to the first personsubsequent to the first person accessing the environment, the avatarbeing such that it can convey to the first person information about asecond person.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of determining a level of authority associated with the secondperson, and providing the second person with access to the virtualenvironment if the level of authority is deemed appropriate.

The particular embodiment of the communication method comprises, thestep of the first person assigning the level of authority.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method the step ofsupporting the virtual environment comprises arranging the virtualenvironment such that it has a desired appearance.

The particular embodiment of the communication method comprises the stepof exchanging other information between the first person and the secondperson via the virtual environment.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method, the otherinformation comprises multi-media content.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method the step ofcommunicating the avatar to the first person comprises controllingwhether the avatar conveys the information to the first person.

The particular embodiment of the communication method further comprisesthe step of allowing the first person to access the virtual environmentvia a communication network, and the step of communicating the avatar inthe virtual environment to the first person via the communicationnetwork.

In the particular embodiment of the communication method the informationconveyed by the avatar to the first person comprises audio and/or videoinformation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is providedsoftware comprising at least one instruction for causing a computingdevice to carry out at least one of the particular embodiments of thecommunication method.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention there is provideda computer readable medium comprising the software for causing thecomputing device to carry out the at least one of the particularembodiments of the communication method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Notwithstanding any other embodiments that may fall within the scope ofthe present invention, an embodiment of the present invention will nowbe described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanyingfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 provides a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention, which is in the form. of a mobile telephone system;

FIG. 2 provides an image of a virtual environment that is presented to auser of the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a sequence of steps that are performed bythe system illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of another sequence of steps that areperformed by the system illustrated in FIG. 1.

AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, which is an embodiment of the presentinvention in the form of a mobile telephone system 1, the system 1comprises numerous base stations 3 that are spread out over an area ofland. Each base station 3 provides network service to a unique region 5of the area. The regions 5 are also commonly referred to as cells. Theregion 5 associated with each base station 3 is defined by the brokenlines shown in FIG. 1. Each base station 3 is under the control of asupervising computer system (not shown) so that the base stations 3operate in a coordinated manner. As persons skilled in the art willreadily appreciate, each base station 3 essentially comprises a computercontrolled radio transmitter and radio receiver, and at least oneantenna mounted atop a tower. The radio transmitter and radio receiverare connected to the antenna via coaxial cable. Whilst not illustratedin the figures, the mobile telephone system 1 can be accessed via othercommunication networks including the Internet using for example GPRSservice in the system 1, and the traditional ‘landline’ telephonenetwork (PSTN).

The mobile telephone system 1 also comprises numerous mobile telephonehandsets 7. As the mobile telephone handsets move across the area theymove in and out of the various regions 5. Each mobile telephone handset7 is arranged to communicate with the base station 3 that providesnetwork service to the region 5 in which the mobile telephone handset 7is located. For example, if the mobile telephone handset 7 a werelocated in region 5 d then it would communicate with base station 3 d.To communicate with other telecommunication devices (such as atraditional landline telephone or another mobile telephone 7), themobile telephone handsets 7 and base stations 3 communicate with eachother using mobile telephone transmission technology such as, forexample, GSM or CDMA.

Each mobile telephone handset 7 comprises a determining means, anidentifying means and a communicating means, all of which are in theform of software that is run on the hardware of a mobile telephonehandset 7. In this particular embodiment of the present invention, thesoftware is based on the Java programming language, which provides theadvantage of making the software usable on different telephone handsets7 that have dissimilar hardware. It is envisaged, however, that thesoftware could be written in other programming languages ranging fromassembly language to C++.

Essentially, the determining means enables a telephone handset 7 todetermine an attribute of a telephone that is attempting to call atelephone handset 7. In the case of the present embodiment of theinvention, the attribute is the telephone number of the telephone thatis attempting to call the telephone handset 7. The telephone that isattempting to call the telephone handset 7 could be either a traditionallandline telephone (such as that installed at a home or office) or oneof the telephone handsets 7. The determining means determines theattribute (the telephone number of the calling telephone) by processingcaller identification data, which is transmitted to the telephonehandset 7 via a base station 3. As persons skilled in the art willreadily appreciate, the caller identification data is generated by thetelephone network.

It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that thepresent invention is not restricted to determining an attribute in theform of the telephone number of the calling telephone. It is envisagedthat other embodiments of the present invention may determine otherforms of the attribute such as, for example, a PIN code associated withthe person using the calling telephone, or an IP address of a computerattempting to contact a telephone handset 7 via a CPRS service.

Once the determining means has determined the attribute, the identifyingmeans uses the attribute to identify an avatar. As indicated previously,the word “avatar” as used throughout this specification is a referenceto an image of some description (for example, a digital photograph oranimated icon), which when viewed conveys some information about anactivity that a person (that is, a user of the called mobile telephonehandset 7) is engaged in. For instance, an avatar of a surfboard or bookwould respectively indicate that the user of the called mobile telephonehandset 7 is out surfing or reading.

It is noted that the present embodiment of the invention is notrestricted to use in a social context and has application to othercontexts including a business context. In the business context theavatar may represent an image of, for example, a CEO in an aeroplane orin a vehicle to depict the fact that the CEO is travelling. Being ableto use the embodiment of the present invention in a business context isparticularly advantageous because it enables managers and staff toeffectively communicate information about their status to other staff,and importantly enables the CEO (who is undoubtedly an extremely busyperson) to efficiently manage contact with business colleagues

In using the attribute to identify the avatar, the identifying meansbasically searches through a ‘library’ of avatars each of which isassociated with a communication device identifier, which as mentionedpreviously is effectively a telephone number. When searching through thelibrary of avatars, the identifying means checks the communicationdevice identifiers until it finds one that matches the attribute. Onfinding a matching communication device identifier, the identifyingmeans identifies the avatar that is associated with the matchingcommunication device identifier. In the present embodiment of theinvention the library of avatars is contained in a permanent storagedevice, such as a SIM card or non-volatile RAM of a mobile telephonehandset 7.

Subsequent to identifying the avatar, the communication meanscommunicates (transmits) the identified avatar in a virtual environmentto the telephone that called the mobile telephone handset 7. Asdiscussed in more detail in the following paragraphs of thisspecification, the virtual environment effectively models a virtual roomsuch as, for example, a boardroom or a lounge room. The advantage ofdepicting the avatar in the virtual environment is that it conveys moreinformation than just the avatar. The mobile telephone handset 7transmits the identified avatar in the virtual environment to therelevant base station 3, which intern forwards the avatar in the virtualenvironment onto the calling telephone via the telephone network. Whenthe telephone that called the mobile telephone 7 receives the avatar andthe virtual environment sent by the communication means, the telephonepresents the avatar in the virtual environment on a visual display sothat the user of the telephone can view the avatar in the virtualenvironment and determine what the user of the called telephone handset7 is doing.

Given that users of the mobile telephone handsets 7 are likely to wantto convey different information as they become involved in differentactivities, each mobile telephone handset 7 also comprises selectingmeans for enabling a user of a telephone handset 7 to select the avatarfrom a plurality of different avatars, which are stored in the memory ofa mobile telephone handset 7. For instance, the different avatars couldinclude a picture of a surfboard, a picture of a book, a picture of anoffice, a picture of an aeroplane, or motor vehicle. In this case, theselecting means would enable a user of a mobile telephone handset 7 toselect the picture of the office if the user wanted to indicate (toparties calling the user's mobile telephone handset 7) that they werecurrently at work.

The selecting means is in the form of software that is based on the Javaprogramming language so that it can be easily deployed on differentmobile telephone handsets 7. However, it is contemplated that thesoftware may be based on other programming languages (such as C++) in analternative embodiment of the present invention. The software embodyingthe selecting means is capable of retrieving the different avatars fromthe memory of the mobile telephones 7 and presenting the retrievedavatars on the visual display of the mobile telephone handsets 7.Furthermore, the selecting means is such that it enables a user of amobile telephone handset 7 to browse through the avatars and select therequired avatar via the keypad of the mobile telephone handsets 7.

Each mobile telephone handset 7 also comprises specifying means, whichis in the form of software that runs on the hardware of the mobiletelephone handsets 7. In this regard, the software embodying thespecifying means is based on the Java language. It is, however,envisaged that the software could be based on other programminglanguages (for example C++) in alternative embodiments of the presentinvention. The specifying means enables a user of a mobile telephone 7to specify the communication device identifier (that is, the telephonenumber) that is associated with the avatar. As described previously, theidentifying means uses the communication device identifier whenattempting to identify the avatar. The selecting means is arranged suchthat a user of the mobile telephone handset 7 can specify (enter) thecommunication device identifier by using the keypad of a mobiletelephone handset 7. Being able to specify the communication deviceidentifier is particularly advantageous because it enables the user toeffectively control which avatar is sent to a particular callingtelephone.

Each mobile telephone handset 7 also comprises an environment supportmeans which is in the form of software running on the hardware of thetelephone handsets 7. As with the other software loaded on the telephonehandsets 7, the software embodying the environment support means isbased on the Java programming language. However, in alternativeembodiments of the present invention the environment support means couldbe implemented in other programming languages such as C++. The softwarethat represents the environment support means is basically a graphicssoftware package that supports virtual environments. The environmentsupport means is operable to support one or more virtual environmentsthat can be accessed by a user of a telephone handset 7. The environmentsupport means is arranged to support the virtual environments byallowing users of the telephones 7 to create, maintain and delete theenvironments as required, all of which can be performed via the userinterface of a mobile telephone handset 7. It is noted that the virtualenvironments can exist even though no users are accessing theenvironments.

The environment support means is such that the virtual environmentsrepresent different virtual environments such as a lounge room or officethat can be visited by telephone users (calling parties). An example ofone possible virtual environment is shown in FIG. 2. When a personvisits a virtual environment they are effectively accessing anenvironment supported by the environment support means. As part ofmaintaining the virtual environment, the environment support meansallows a user of a mobile telephone handsets 7 to arrange the virtualenvironment such that it has a desired appearance. Effectively, thismeans that a user of a telephone handset 7 can, for example, hang arange of virtual pictures on the walls that define the virtualenvironment, or arrange the virtual furniture in the virtualenvironment. This allows a user of a telephone handset 7 to personalisethe virtual environment.

In order to gain access to a virtual environment supported by theenvironment support means, a calling party effectively logs onto one ofthe mobile telephone handsets 7 via the base stations 3. In the presentembodiment of the invention the process of logging onto the telephonehandset 7 is by way of username and password. Basically, this involvescalling a telephone handset 7 that is maintaining (via the environmentsupport means) the virtual environment. Assuming that the log on processis successful, the environment support means will provide the callingparty that has logged onto the telephone handset 7 with a list ofvirtual environments that are currently active on the called mobiletelephone handset 7. It is noted that each of the virtual environmentscan be different, and by way of example one of the virtual environmentsmay represent a virtual boardroom, another of the virtual environmentsmay represent a virtual reception area of an office, and yet another ofthe virtual environment may represent the passenger compartment of anaeroplane.

By using the user interface of a telephone handset 7, the user that haslogged onto one of the telephone handsets 7 selects one or more of thecurrently active virtual environments. Subsequent to selecting the oneor more active virtual environments, the environment support meansoperating on the telephone handset 7 that the user has logged ontodetermines whether the user has been assigned an appropriate level ofauthority to access the selected virtual environments. The environmentsupport means is such that it provides a user with access to theselected virtual environments provided the user has the appropriatelevel of authority to access the virtual environments.

The environment support means is such that it allows an administrator ofthe virtual environments (which is typically the person that created theenvironment) to set the level of authority required to access theenvironments, and assign a level of authority to users of the mobiletelephone handsets 7. This allows the administrator to control access tothe virtual environments, which can include denying certain people fromgaining access to one or more of the virtual environments. This can beuseful, for example, where a CEO of a business only wants to let certainpeople into his virtual office.

Once a person is provided with access to one or more selected virtualenvironments, they will be presented with one or more avatars each ofwhich represents another user who is currently accessing the samevirtual environment. The avatars are presented on the visual display ofa mobile telephone handset 7. The avatars are presented in the virtualenvironment. The communicating means (referred to previous in thisdescription of the embodiment of the invention) is further arranged tocommunicate the one or more avatars to the user. It is noted that whenthe user is provided with access to the one or more of the selectedvirtual environments the communicating means will provide the otherusers who are currently accessing the same environment with an avatarthat represents the user that has just been provided with access to theenvironment. Thus, effectively making the virtual environment asubstantially real-time environment that quickly conveys changes to thevirtual environment.

The avatars communicated by the communicating means are arranged toconvey information, in the form of audio information, to a user of atelephone handset 7 subsequent to being communicated to the users, whichis typically via the visual display of a telephone handset 7 being usedby the user. To present the audio information to the user thecommunicating means is arranged to interact with the audio circuit ofthe mobile telephone handset 7.

In addition to conveying information using the avatars, the presentembodiment of the invention allows users who have been provided withaccess to the environments to use the environments to exchange otherinformation, in the form of multi-media information, with each other.

The present embodiment of the invention also provides controlling meansthat is operable to allow a person that is represented by an avatar tocontrol who can receive the information conveyed by the avatar. Thecontrolling means is in the form of software that runs on the hardwareof the telephone handsets 7. As with the other software that is loadedonto a telephone handset 7, the software embodying the controlling meansis based on the Java programming language. However, it is envisaged thatin other embodiments of the present invention the controlling means canbe implemented in other languages such as C++. Effectively, thecontrolling means enables users who have been given access to thevirtual environments to establish private communications with eachother. If control is not exerted over who the avatar conveys theinformation to, the avatars will convey the information to all usersthat are accessing the virtual environment. Thus, the controlling meansprovides a mechanism for users to communicate in private.

Whilst the present embodiment of the invention has been described withparticular application to a mobile telephone network, it will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention hasapplication to other communication systems. For instance, the othercommunication systems could include a video conferencing system, anelectronic messaging system (such as Internet based instant messaging),or computer communication systems. Furthermore, in alternativeembodiments of the present invention the mobile telephone handsets 7could be replaced with portable digital assistants (PDAs) that havesuitable wireless interfaces that enable the PDAs to communicate via thesystem 1. An example of these types of PDAs are those available fromBlackBerry.

Furthermore, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the artthat even though the described embodiment of the present inventioneffectively indicates that the virtual environments are maintained onthe mobile telephone handsets 7, an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention may have the virtual environments maintained on acomputer system that forms part of the telephone network, in much thesame way as many telecommunication networks now incorporate a voice mailservice.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention describedherein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than thosespecifically described. It should be understood that the inventionincludes all such variations and modifications which fall within thespirit and scope of the invention.

1-45. (canceled)
 46. An apparatus for providing communication betweencommunication devices, the apparatus comprising: a memory circuitconfigured to store executable instructions; and a processor in datacommunication with the memory circuit, wherein the processor, uponexecuting the executable instructions, causes the apparatus to at least:receive a request to contact a first communication device from a secondcommunication device, identify an association of the secondcommunication device with either a first recipient or a second recipientbased on respective attributes of the first recipient and the secondrecipient, the first recipient being different than the first recipient,and select one of a first status or a second status based on theassociation, wherein the first status identifies the first recipient,and the second status identifies the second recipient, and the secondstatus is different than the first status.